Von Butch Mafia
The Von Butch Mafia is a medium-sized mob with territory in Niw Yoick, affiliated with the Von Butch family. The current don is Josephine Von Butch. Members In the Von Butch Mafia heirarchy, Josephine 'Joey' Von Butch is the head of the organisation. She inherited this from her grandparents and has numerous high-ranking cronies. Members are generally relations of the Von Butch legacy, friends of the family or those who've proved themselves faithful. The only Von Butch immediate family member not considered a member of the mafia is Beronice, although Heather and her dental practice are considered a seperate faction, still affiliated with the mafia. The membership body consists largely of goons and cronies of Joey's who perform her bidding and musclework, although numerous gunslingers, negotiators, doctors, spies and messengers exist within its ranks. Goals and Operations The aims of the Von Butch Mafia are largely related to defending the Von Butch legacy, its honor and territory, as well as amassing power and profits by terrorising other mobs and threats that enroach on its territory. Although the mafia poses itself as fairly harmless to civillians, it does exercise moral ambiguity by going after businesses and persons who pose a threat to the legacy or territory. The Von Butch Mafia also, somewhat dubiously, offers 'protection services' for a price to those on their territory, and offer 'favours' to those who help them. They also act as somewhat of a vigilante group, exercising a dubious sort of 'justice' on their turf, which is ever-expanding as they push back rival gangs. If they're not rivalling nearby groups, they may affiliate with them, for mutual benefit, offering and calling in favours, whether that be trade-wise, politically, or as backup during a brawl or shootout. Affiliations and Rivalries Confirmed Affiliations: * Sunflower Labs. Although it's not so much a partnership between the two, it's known that Joey likes to affiliate with the labs, seeing as how the warehouse that hides her hideout has shiny new solar panels on the roof, presumably gotten at a discount. * Dead Gentlemen's Society. Velázquez's group affiliates with the Von Butch mafia, although they tend to keep their distance from each other; they're known to send backup to each other in a pinch and tolerate ''each other's presence. * Von Butch Dental Practicioners. Heather's dental practice. Although they're considered seperate entities, as Heather is a Von Butch, she often accepts 'favours' and also offers discounts to the mob's members. Rivalries: * Slotham Gangster Army. Although they're quite a ways apart, the Slotham Gangster Army has established a rivalry with the Von Butch Mafia. Filbur Laxley pokes fun at how badly-dressed the Von Butches are, then soon regrets it. * The UNWD. They have American operatives. They have eyes everywhere. These operatives and eyes ''don't like the Von Butch Mafia. ''The Von Butch Mafia doesn't like their ''snooping. * The Kazantzakis Mafia, before its 'closure' in 2008. The two mobs met several times but no fights ever took place between them. The Von Butches, though, now gladly take over the other gang's business in Alaska with a far lower profile. It's implied that Ronnie dabbled with the Kazantzakis before their disbandment. Rumoured Affiliations: * The SGA. It is rumoured that Madam, a prominent figure in the agency, dabbles with Joey's power, and occasionally supplies weapons. Rivalries: * The Inexplicablum. Although the Inexplicablum cannot be legally acknowledged, it is rumoured that their American operatives clash with the Von Butch Mafia from time to time, and that Joey has a distaste for their operations. Trivia * Their insignia, which Joey has tattooed on her left bicep, features a violet and a ring of keys. Both of these reference the label of 'butch', which naturally references the Von Butch siblings' aesthetic presentation: Violets symbolise same-gender attraction between women, and rings of keys have been known as a butch lesbian identifier, popularised by the musical Fun Home. The gang also owns a pub called The Cross Keys, aptly. ** Additionally, the keys point to the analogue-clock points 6 and 9, which is a euphemism of the ''risque ''variety. * Joey was picked to be the don by her grandfather, since the Von Butch siblings' parents had been killed, and Joey was elected the most reliable; Heather and Ronnie were deemed too soft and too unreliable, respectively. Category:Factions Category:Gangs